Lakers Rally Late, Win Game 2 in OT

By Ian McNaughton

Most lacrosse fans knew that Game 1 of the 2019 Mann Cup was not going to be how the entire series would be played. After the Shamrocks throttling of the Lakers in Game 1, Peterborough returned the favour by defeating Victoria 12-10 in overtime. The series is now tied at 1-1 as Sunday will be an off day. The Mann Cup picks up once again Monday with Game 3 going at The Q Centre. 

When Shawn Evans is playing in a Mann Cup, you know he’s going to be scoring points. That’s precisely what happened in Game 2 as Evans exploded with three goals and five assists for Peterborough. He was named the Player of the Game for the Lakers and is now five points away from reaching second on the all-time Mann Cup scoring list. 

Nine other Lakers got goals in Game 2, including Kyle Buchanan and Cory Vitarelli. They each had three points on the night while former Shamrocks Corey Small had a goal and an assist. Jake Withers dominated in faceoffs as he won 18 of 25 draws in Game 2. Mike Poulin got the start for Peterborough as he made 40 saves again Saturday, this time on just 50 shots. 

The Player of the Game for Victoria was Tyson Gibson, who got six points in the Shamrock green. That was his highest single-game point total since Game 3 of the WLA Finals, and he's got 35 points for Victoria this postseason. A night of each getting a hat trick, Connor Robinson and Casey Jackson both got two goals and two assists. Steve Priolo had three assists for the second consecutive night, and goaltender Pete Dubenski made a career-high 62 saves on 74 shots. 

Tickets for Game 5 of the 2019 Mann Cup presented by Island Savings will go on sale at 9:00 am Sunday. Seats are still available for Games 3 & 4.